The mission of Wings Flights of Hope (Wings) is to help people in need of free air transportation for medical and humanitarian purposes. Basically, it is to help anyone, anytime, anyplace. Wings does not want transportation to stand in the way of a patient receiving the best possible treatment.

The activities of Wings is entirely supported by volunteer pilots, donations of business men, and by supporting organizations. Wings has received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 and 2012. Additionally, it has received high acclaim by charity rating groups. In 2015 it was reported that 92% of the Wings budget was spent on program services.

The original idea of the Wings activities came from the activities of Sister Michael Pertherese Ryan, who was the owner of an old fabric-covered P-18 Piper Super Cub airplane. Sister Ryan used her Piper to fly relief to impoverished people in the Turkana dessert region in Kenya. The story of Sister Ryan’s activities inspired four St. Louis founders to raise money for a new larger and stronger Cessna aircraft. The flight of the Cessna from St. Louis across the Atlantic Ocean to Nairobi, Kenya and its circumstances were published and received world-wide attention. With this attention came assistance of time, money, and services. The destiny of Wings was born.

Today Wings boasts of locations in 47 countries. Its nearest local office is located in Orchard Park, New York.